Jesse Marsch Faces Possible Football Death Defiantly

Hail GFOP!

I type with fingers filled with joy and wonder. I was in Atlanta overnight on Monday. When I arrived at my hotel check-in, I ran slap bang into a GFOP, Mike, who was actually listening to our new Brendan Hunt collab-podcast, “Go! Go! USA!” as I walked in. It is always magical to meet GFOPs around the nation in person, and I stood there in the hotel lobby with Mike as he re-lived moments of the 2002 World Cup with me – for a moment, it felt as if we were no longer in Downtown Atlanta, but had been transported back in time and space, through the contours of his deeply-held, cherished footballing memories.

I want to thank all of you who have written and tweeted your own memories that have been catalyzed by this show. I genuinely adored making it. Brendan is a gent who adores the growth of the game in this nation as much as I do. And he is so bloody knowledgeable and funny. (I cannot wait for the world to hear his 2017-era Bruce Arena impression.) It is my true hope that Go! Go! USA! helps those who never lived the games to feel like they have, and leave with a deeper appreciation of our American footballing history on the Men’s side of the game, and for those who did experience them, to relive the profound memories we all made along the way.

🗣️ Episode 2 of Go! Go! USA! with Brendan Hunt: A Passionate Fans' History of the USMNT drops on Sunday! We are talking the dos a cero triumph of 2002 and the descent into darkness that is 2006. Also, Brendan tells a real life story about playing blackjack with Bruce Arena that sounds like one of Rog's fever dreams. LISTEN TO EPISODE ONE HERE. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

In that regard. Remember: The Men in Blazers World Cup Tour 🇺🇸 coming to a city near you! New York City, Philadelphia, D.C., Austin, Atlanta, St. Louis, LA, San Francisco, Seattle and Nashville. Those aren’t just the lyrics to a Huey Lewis and the News song. Those are the cities we are visiting. Tickets are available at MenInBlazers.com. Just head to our site, scoop up tickets and come join us for what promises to be a night of nights.

🍺 It's the weekend, we're going to need some beers. Order Budweiser via Drizly and get $5 off your first order when you use the code: BUDXMIB Courtesy of Drizly. New Drizly users only. Must be 21+. Cannot be combined with any other offer. Per applicable law, value may be applied towards order total or shipping or delivery fees. Includes orders of non-alcoholic items. Void where prohibited. Expires on 12/31/22 at 11:59 EDT. 🍺

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2. To the Football

Welcome back to the Premier League of Chaos. Just 19 points separate the teams at the top and the bottom. In this season of World Cup-caused compression. Once again, let’s do the forbidden dance.

i. Liverpool vs. Leeds (Sunday, 2.45 PM ET, USA)

After extracting a paltry two points from the last 24 available, Jesse Marsch is facing his footballing death defiantly: "I've never lost this much in my career. I'm sick of it,” the American said before heading to Liverpool. Marsch’s “uncertain due to injury” list is truly terrifying - Gelhart (knee); Rodrigo (adductor); Sinisterra (foot); Cooper (glute); Tyler Adams (calf). As is the truth that Liverpool have not lost at home for 29 games. One piece of advice for Racine, Wisconsin’s King O’ Tight Jeans. DO NOT LET JURGEN KLOPP HUG YOU MID GAME: Learn from Scott Parker’s demise. It is the move of a Grim Reaper.

ii. Leicester vs. Manchester City (Saturday, 7.30 AM ET, USA)

Someone, please slap Brodge’s face on “the Undertaker snapping back from the Dead” MEME. Three wins in five games this month, with four loins-girded clean sheets. This, though, will be a very different test. Wout Faes vs. Erling Haaland deserves a heavyweight title belt.

iii. Brighton vs. Chelsea (Saturday, 10 AM ET, USA)

Graham Potter returns to the parochial regional bank where he made his name with entrepreneurial leadership before being made CEO of the whole national. It is just seven weeks since he left. Brighton are yet to win in his absence. Chelsea have conceded just four times under their new management and are buzzing. Marc Cucurella has declared that Potter is looking “prettier” now than he did in his old job.

More: Why Graham Potter plays Pulisic and Sterling at Wing Back.

iv. Arsenal vs. Nottingham Forest (Sunday, 10 AM ET, USA)

Liverpool’s unlikely executioners march down south with the confidence of doomed men who suddenly believe in miracles. Can Arsenal, so clearly fatigued in Europe and at Southampton, re-summon the ideas and execution which have made them so dizzying? Gabriel Jesus versus Burnout may be the story of their season.

v. Bournemouth vs. Tottenham (Saturday, 10 AM ET, P’Cock)

A clash between two managers still seething after perceived VAR injustices over the last week. Antonio Conte was sent off at the end of Spurs’ Champions League clash against Sporting. His team were booed off by the home crowd at half-time. After back-to-back league losses against Manchester and Newcastle Uniteds, can they summon a pretense of attacking intent? Spare-part Bryan Gil looked very good in his European cameo. Taking on opponents. Willing to create. Might we be entering the Gil Age at Spurs?

vi. Manchester United vs. West Ham (Sunday, 12.15pm ET, USA)

Just enjoy the sight of Antony spinning around twice before hitting the ball out straight of bounds, and imagine: what would happen in David Moyes’ brain if the Brazilian did that against his team?

vii. Fulham vs. Everton (Saturday, 12.30 PM, NBC Proper)

Antonee Robinson Memorial Derby. The Blues travel to the Cottage to take on old friend Marco Silva's squad. Tim Ream vs. DCL and Mitrovic vs. Coady/Tark will determine the outcome. Pray for Everton.

viii. Full Premier League Broadcast Schedule HERE

🏆 COME AND TAKE A PHOTO OF ROG AND THE WORLD CUP TROPHY 🏆

Want to see the FIFA World Cup Trophy? And Rog? In the same place? Good job the GFOPs at Coca-Cola are bringing the trophy to the American Dream mall in East Rutherford, N.J. Nov. 8. Come see Rog live in conversation with football legends, check out the FIFA World Cup trophy, and win prizes. For more information on how to join, see HERE.

3. Australian National Team Delivers Incredible Message to Qatar 🇦🇺

On Thursday, the Socceroos, including their captain Mat Ryan, became the first World Cup participants to release a collective statement of protest against Qatar’s human rights records. I am a very cynical human being, but even I found this video to be incredibly moving. May many more teams follow their lead, including our young United States players. Please watch these athletes use the power of their platform for the force of good.

🗣️🗣️🗣️ On this crucial topic, tomorrow, it is Episode 4 of World Corrupt, our mashup with "Pod Save America" and "Pod Save the World's" Tommy Vietor and the GFOPs at Crooked Media. In this episode, we hear from human rights activists about the conditions in which migrant laborers in Qatar are expected to work, and from two-time World Cup Champion (and Golden Blazer recipient) Megan Rapinoe about the courage it takes for athletes to speak out against injustice. If you've not yet started World Corrupt, we suggest you begin with EPISODE ONE.

More: What Saudi Arabia aims to gain from sports.

4. NWSL FINAL COUNTDOWN 🏆

Saturday night, the NWSL final will be played live, in primetime, between the NWSL Shield runners-up Portland Thorns and the playoff contenders they told you not to worry about Kansas City Current at Audi Field in Washington, DC. Come for the Lo Labonta cele, stay for the inevitable Crystal Dunn wonder strike. And where can you watch that game Saturday at 8 p.m. ET? Paramount+. Sign up for one week free HERE.

🗣️🗣️🗣️Thursday, it was this season’s penultimate episode of The Women's Game, Presented by Paramount+ with Washington Spirit and USWNT hero Andi Sillivan. But don't cry because the season is nearly over. Smile because we have a seismic final on our hand. Andi and I previewed it and then some. This video gives a lovely taste of the whole shebang. Sophia Smith was also just made the youngest MVP in League history. You can hear my interview with the young phenom here.

More: Lo Labonta has been one of the most gratifying and wonderful stories to witness this season. I adored this feature about the "twerking, goal-scoring late bloomer."

5. More from Men In Blazers World HQ

i. Monday, we switched it up and dropped a European Nights, Presented by Paramount Plus with The New York Times Chief Soccer Correspondent and author of "Expected Goals," Rory Smith. In this episode, Kylian Mbappe's season of discontent at PSG and the story of Shakhtar Donetsk, not just a club, but a state of mind. We're back with more European Nights next week, ahead of European football's final matchday before the World Cup. It sounds like a pretty good week to watch European Football free on us. You can get Paramount+ for one week free RIGHT HERE.

ii. Tuesday, we were back with The Men in Blazers Podcast. Rog and Davo on a late drama-packed draw between Chelsea and Manchester United. Nottingham Forest's shock upset of Liverpool. And whether PIF is just a place from "Thomas the Tank Engine."

iii. Wednesday, Rog and Davo hopped on a special Do It Live!, steaming in right off the Champions League games to marvel at a big win for Liverpool, Barca crashing out, and VAR depriving Spurs fans of last-gasp joy.

6. More Football, Did Ya Say?

i. Vieira says doors are not open for more Black Managers.

ii. Rory Smith on the joy of watching Napoli’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia play instinctive, untamed, anarchic football.

iii. Barcelona gambled on a ‘virtuous circle’ that’s been bent way out of shape by levers.

7. “Paul Carr Blows Your Mind… Said Paul Carr Blows Your Mind 🤯”

Our weekly stats section in which Paul Carr, my numbers loving friend who is TruMedia’s Senior Director of Content, crunches his calculator. Lovely feature on Paul this week, in which I was given the opportunity to tell about my love for the man.

🤯 Seven Americans started in UEFA Champions League this week (CCV, Cohen, McKennie, Pulisic, Reyna, Sands, Tillman). That’s the most ever on a single UCL matchday.

🤯 On Saturday, Chelsea visit Brighton, the team against which Christian Pulisic has played the most Premier League minutes (246) without scoring. In fact, no U.S. international has scored against the Seagulls in their five Premier League seasons.

🤯 When Leeds go to Anfield on Saturday, Brenden Aaronson (or Tyler Adams) can join Pulisic as the only U.S. internationals with an away Premier League goal against Liverpool. The Reds have conceded five times in six home games this season, after allowing a total of nine goals at home all of last season.

8. Not Football, and All the Better For it

i. You Be The Ump. That was fun. They should do this with deeply subjective penalty calls.

ii. What Was Brangelina? An epoch seared into the soul of the nation.

iii. Edgar Gonzelaz is Anything But Basic. Truly excellent digital designer.

iv. Paul Mescal Has Been Working Things Out. The Paul Mescal-Joe Alwyn continuum is such an interesting pocket of Hollywood full of soft-spoken men whom everyone hates without being really sure why.

v. Plywood Gourmet. How thousands of restaurants speedily, messily, and probably permanently took over the street. They frame this as something nefarious but I'm just here to say that outdoor dining is one of the main hallmarks of pleasant urban design and one of the great silver linings of this pandemic.

vi.. Meet Jenny the Donkey, The Banshees of Inisherin’s ‘Petite and Perfect’ Scene-Stealer. Sending this a couple hours before I see the movie. Colin Farrell-Brendan Gleeson-Martin McDonagh reunion is the stuff of dreams. Godspeed to all my fellow In Bruges lovers. May we never be disappointed.

vii. These Two Circles Spin At The Same Speed, But Your Brain Will Not Allow You To See That At First Glance. Could write a full book on things my brain will not allow me to see at first glance. Google maps instructions. The difference between Ruth Wilson and Michelle Monaghan. Kai Havertz's current haircut.

viii. Carly Rae Jepsen Has a Cynical Side. But she’s still optimistic about love. It is my sincere belief that there has never been a song more joyful than Call Me Maybe.

ix. Yes, I Will Explain the Lesbian Farmer Emu Flu Drama to You. Okay so people are going to tell you that the moral of this story is not to be racist on the internet or like kiss infectious birds or whatever but the obvious moral is actually that you should never listen to virologists on Twitter when they advocate for emu euthanasia. Niche moral I know, but you can never tell when this kind of thing might happen to you.

x. An Oral History of Home Depot’s 12-Foot Skeleton. I did not expect this collection of words to ever appear in the same sentence.

xi. Chicago Bulls top all NBA teams in offseason Lids gear sales. Luc Longley jerseys flying off the shelves.

xii. An oral history: Inside the week Emmitt Smith broke the NFL’s all-time rushing record. Can't wait to read the Erling Haaland version of this article in 20 years.

xiii. The 120-year search for the purpose of T. rex's arms. Paleontologists up until 120 years ago were really slacking.

xiv. A BOOK: New Kids in the World Cup: The Totally Late '80s and Early '90s Tale of the Team That Changed American Soccer Forever by Adam Elder. A lovely book which I blurbed as I admired the author’s effort to cover a neglected era. It transports the reader back to a time when the best male footballers this nation produced toiled way below the radar. Huge love for Adam Elder, who has poured his energy into reconstructing a story that begins with shirtless dancing on a California beach with O.J. Simpson and spirals away from there. Reading this is a reminder of how far we have come, so fast, from a men’s footballing perspective.

That is it for today. I want to leave you with a truly lovely Raven we received from GFOP Thomas Shanabruch who wrote, “Two nights ago I found my nine-year-old son reading your ‘Gods of Soccer’ book – the Alex Morgan entry – to my 11-year-old daughter. Jaw drop in our house as my 11-year-old is always the one who does the reading to the nine-year-old. It was amazing.” Thomas. This story made my week. I am honestly buzzing. It is exactly why I wrote the book. To have kids revel in the stories of Alex and Socrates and Briana Scurry. To know, and to love them. I know so many of you have been storing the book up to give as holiday gifts to those you love. The thought of more scenes like the one in the Shanabruch home playing out across the nation is 100% why we at MiB do what we do. Grab your Copy Here

Let’s make great memories together, watching Football.

Big Love.

Courage.

ROG